It has been nearly a year since I reincarnated into this world.
That said, my knowledge and experience points haven’t increased that much.
After all, being unable to leave this place is a significant factor.
What I have figured out is that this location is a room in the basement of my home.
That room is used for alchemical research.
That’s about it.
The only other information I can gather is listening to my parents talking in this room.
In such a limited environment, what I’ve learned is mainly about my parents.
My father’s name is Kurt, and my mother’s name is Diana.
Both of them seem to come from a long line of noble heritage.
Father Kurt is the second son of the Almstar family.
He appears to be quite skilled with a sword, and in town, he’s known as “Kurt the Swift,” a figure of respect.
From the first time I saw him, I thought he had a slender yet muscular build, suggesting he must be involved in a profession that frequently requires him to handle swords, as he often enters the room carrying one.
I had assumed he was quite the remarkable person, but it was surprising to discover how true that was.
After all, in front of me, he displayed quite a bit of doting father behavior.
I never would have guessed he was that significant of a person.
In contrast, my mother Diana was always at home, watching over me.
For someone like me, who spends an immense amount of time in a cultivation tank, her words, spoken through the glass, provided great comfort.
When she heard that monsters had appeared in the territory, she would bring out something that resembled a staff and sleep by my side.
What surprised me was that she was also a powerful magic user, just like Kurt.
People can be quite different from what they appear.
With such parents watching over me, I grew up strong.
Though, to be honest, I caused my own growth reactions to happen.
As a result of a year spent in trial and error, my body has grown to about the size of a three-year-old.
The mysterious hot flow within me has now evolved into a hexagon.
It seems to grow with each additional angle, and I’m now planning to attempt a heptagon.
It might seem easy when I put it like that, but getting to this point has been quite tough.
From the outside, it may look like I’m doing nothing, but in reality, each time has felt like a struggle for survival.
It’s like mental weight training, where it’s painful to discern the limits that consciousness can’t surpass.
They say that when pushing your muscles to their limit, that’s when they grow the most, and it feels similar.
Even so, I’ve come this far because of a sense of regret.
In my past life, I became an adult without giving it much thought, but since I’ve been given a chance to start over, I want to do my best in this life.
I believe that feeling has contributed to my efforts.
Now then, shall I try it?
I steeled myself and prepared my mind.
This time, I will pinch one edge of the hexagon, transform it into a heptagon, and stabilize it.
If I succeed, further growth awaits.
Based on my previous experiences, it feels like the flow inside me has intensified each time I succeed.
I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t feel bad.
…Alright.
I announce the beginning in my mind and concentrate my awareness on the flow.
With the training I’ve done so far, it has become quite difficult for my consciousness to be taken away so easily.
Carefully and calmly, I touch the edge and shape the angles.
Slowly, the flow bends, and the hexagon transforms into a heptagon.
And then, it stabilized in that form.
I did it.
Surprisingly, it went smoothly.
However, my moment of joy was short-lived as a change began to occur in my body.
I felt a jolt as my skeleton and body suddenly expanded.
Looking down, I could see that my body had grown.
Visually, I now looked like a four-year-old.
It’s always amazing.
Although my body is still quite unsteady compared to an adult’s, it has improved dramatically in responsiveness since my baby days.
A body that moves as I wish is the best.
While I was feeling the growth of my body, I suddenly thought.
It’s cramped…
It’s only natural to feel that way.
This cultivation tank isn’t very big.
I believe it was made with the expectation that I would grow only until around three years old, as Kurt mentioned.
It seems like growing any larger in this environment will be difficult.
I wonder if there’s any way I can get out…
As I thought this, when I put my hand against the inside of the cultivation tank, I suddenly felt that hot flow inside me surge violently.
What’s happening…?
Before I could ponder this, in the next moment, light in the shape of a heptagon appeared from my palm, quickly replicating the form, connecting the edges, and rapidly spreading throughout the entire tank.
In an instant, a loud noise erupted.
The glass tank surrounding me shattered into countless heptagons.
“!?”
For a moment, I didn’t understand what had happened.
I could surmise that the light from my hand had almost certainly caused this result.
But what is this power…?
Standing dazed amidst the scattered glass shards and water-soaked floor, I heard my parents rush in, possibly alerted by the commotion.
“Nero!? What happened!? Are you alright…?”
They appeared flustered, but upon rushing into the room and seeing the situation, they froze.
“What is this…?”
Seeing their expressions, I thought, I’ve messed up…
So, I instinctively said,
“I’m sorry…”
However, that only seemed to surprise them even more.
My parents, speechless, murmured in astonishment.
“Nero… spoke!?”
